Everything I Wanted
by AgoodWITCH
Summary: A failed marriage & long divorce left Edward with a lot on his hands. Moving his kids closer to his family in New York was the fresh start he needed so that his family could thrive. Not knowing how he would juggle work and caring for his kids, he jumped at the chance to hire his brother's nanny to care for his own kids. But the moment Bella walked into his house everything changed.
1. Chapter 1

**I know it has been a while since I've posted, but I have been writing around the whirlwind that has been my life this fall. Things are coming to a head, and with that I will have more time to write and complete some things, but this little one has been sitting in my tbr file for a while and I've now got enough banked on both sides to feel comfortable to at least start posting.**

**This story is a first for me, in that I'm posting two separate POV's as separate stories. Bella's side of this is Everything I Needed, and it was just posted. You will get one chapter a week of each if I can stick to the plan, with Need posting in the middle of the week (because I can't always guarantee Wednesday) and Want posting on the weekend. There will be some overlap, but not more than necessary as they will follow the pair more when they're apart, especially in the beginning.**

**This is my Thanksgiving present to all of you who have stuck with me, and to everyone who doesn't celebrate, just know that you make the journey so fulfilling with your support. I've gotten an influx of new followers thanks to rec on TwiFanficionRecs and TwiFic Central, so here's a whole new ride. Older Edward, younger Bella, but both of them have a lot to learn.**

**As always thanks to Mizzdee for her beta skills and support, you're my best friend and I love you. ACullenWannabe, my fic sis, has started to post again, so if you haven't read her stories, RUN to check them out.**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**Everything I Wanted**

**Chapter 1**

I left my office, my personal effects in a few boxes sitting in the trunk of my SUV. I had two more days in Chicago tying up all the loose ends and then we'd be on the road. I had debated between shipping my car and driving with the kids, but when we had everything arranged, I just decided to drive overnight and let them sleep through it. It would beat racing around the airport while being worried about my car being damaged in transit.

I walked in the door to see Tanya and Rosalie in another screaming match, but I didn't have the time for Rosalie's latest round of the blame game. I loved my daughter but she was exhausting when she got on the warpath. And with only two days left before the last semblances of her life were packed away for the eight hundred mile move to Manhattan, she was in overdrive.

"Edward, wait," Tanya called out and I stopped my retreat on the third step, "the movers called about ten minutes ago, they'll be here any minute so don't hibernate up in your office."

"Thanks, Tanya," I told her, glad that there was civility between us.

Tanya and I had grown up together, but we didn't start dating until our senior year of high school. We both went to college in Chicago so that the distance wouldn't kill our relationship and everything was great, but a few months into our junior year Tanya found out she was pregnant with Rosalie. We both busted our asses that year and she held out until three hours after her last final before her water broke and we became parents.

My mom helped out with watching Rosalie while we were finishing our last year, and by the time we graduated we'd become really good at managing our time between work, our daughter and each other.

We both started working for big companies, and it was all a dream; until it started to crumble around us. It started when Tanya's parents died. We had just had Jasper and dealing with all the estate issues and our busy lives chipped away at the time we spent being us.

Then my father left my mom for a much younger woman, a move that devastated my mom, even though his new relationship was over before the divorce was final. We'd just finished the remodel of what had been Tanya's parents' house and were living there, so my mom came to stay with us for a while, which stretched into the last three years of her life before she passed away from cancer. A heart attack took my father within the year.

At that point we knew that we had to try harder or we would drift apart completely, which was how we had Alice. Now with an infant, a six year old, and a twelve year old, plus two jobs and endless other commitments, we fell into a routine just to get us through the days, which was how we ended up settling for comfortable. We were too burnt out to strive for more.

For a year and a half we were closer to roommates than husband and wife, but it was still Tanya who came to me and started the discussion. We filed for legal separation, and I moved into the guest room. With the kids and our schedules, we felt it was easier to do it that way, especially with how often Tanya traveled as a buyer for her company.

Rosalie had fought us on it even then, but as the year of separation passed and we both felt the relief at not having to feel guilty that our feelings had changed, we knew we were making the right decision.

It took a while with all of the court dates because of the custody hearings, but our amicable attitude and agreement once again made things a little smoother. We shared legal custody, but I had sole physical custody of the kids. Our house had been a problem at first, but when my company offered me a promotion to move to New York, I jumped at the chance. The court allowed it as long as Tanya got her afforded visitation with the kids, which she gladly agreed could happen during their school breaks or over the summer.

The divorce was finalized and my sister-in-law, Esme, had found us the perfect house in Manhattan and then spent her considerable talent perfecting it. She even told me that it might be possible for us to employ the same nanny as most of the kids were in school all day so it would only be the afternoon where the poor woman would be wrangling five kids.

With the way the past six months had gone, my pragmatic side had me wondering when the spell would break and things would fall to shit, but I was holding out hope that it would continue on for a little while longer.

I directed the movers around the house, showing them what to load up and then watching as they loaded our life onto their truck. Jasper came up to me just as the movers left, tugging on my hand to get my attention.

"Dad, where are they taking all of our stuff?"

Kneeling down in front of him, I explained our move to him again. "They're going to drive it to Aunt Esme and Uncle Carlisle in New York and then she's going to unpack it so that when we get to our new home your room will be all ready for you."

"Will you be home with us all the time now that we're moving to live closer to Uncle Carlisle and Aunt Esme?" Jasper asked and Rosalie just scoffed from where she and Tanya were listening from the kitchen.

"No, buddy, but the lady that watches Charlotte and Tia will watch you guys too, so you'll be with your cousins all the time, and I'll still be home for dinner, just like I am now."

Jasper thought about it for a minute before running off to play in his bedroom, giving me a chance to make the calls that would sever my ties to Chicago for good.

All of us were running around the next day, doing last minute things for our move, but I was glad that Tanya had taken off the day that we were leaving. While she took the kids for a day in the city, I slept most of the day to prepare for the twelve hour drive that I would be facing.

I woke up to Alice bouncing on the bed next to me. "Daddy, dinner's aalllll ready!"

"Okay, Sweetheart." I yawned before getting out of bed. I threw on the jeans and t-shirt I had sitting out and brought my final bag downstairs.

The five of us sat down for dinner and the kids were a little somber, the reality that their mom wouldn't be living with them anymore setting in.

With a hug for Tanya, we said goodbye to each other and then I went to pack the rest of our things while the kids said goodbye to their mother.

Rosalie was the first to blow past me, climbing into the back seat and putting in her earbuds. I picked up Jasper and carried him to the car as Tanya did the same with Alice.

"Miss you, Mommy." Alice started to cry, but Tanya quickly kissed away her tears.

"It's okay, sweetie. We'll still talk on the phone and have our special video calls, and I'll see you soon to go on vacation, okay? Mommy loves you so much, honey."

"Love you this big, Mommy." Alice held her arms wide and Tanya laughed through her own tears.

Buckling Jasper into the front seat, I walked around the car and caught Tanya's hand before she could retreat back to the house. "Take care of yourself."

"You too, Edward, drive carefully." I pulled Tanya in for another hug and then let her get safely back into the house before driving off.

My plan seemed to work as Alice was asleep before we had made it out of Chicago, and Jasper was asleep by nine o'clock. Tanya had done a good job of tiring them out, but my eldest was sulking in the backseat.

"Rosalie, do you want to talk?" I asked when she finally took out her earbuds, seeing as we were going to be in this car for a while.

"Not really, you've ruined my life. I don't understand why you and mom are doing this," she whined and I tried to push past the attitude and remember the little girl that asked me to sing her to sleep.

"Rosalie, you know how it was when you used to spend all your time with Julie and she annoyed you with all of her complaining about how Doug was ignoring her, so you started to only hang out with her at school?"

"Yeah?"

"Well that's a little bit how your mom and I are. We're best friends, but we got to the point where being more than that didn't work out for us. I still love your mom, just not the way I used to, and that isn't fair to either of us, so we decided to just be friends before we started fighting and getting to the point where we couldn't put you guys first."

"How is moving us away from everything we know, including mom, putting us first. Mom dumped you, didn't she? And you're running away," she accused and I lost it.

"Rosalie Lillian Cullen, don't forget who you're talking to. And my job needed me to move to New York, so it made it easier with your uncle living out there. New York is a great town and once you get older you'll be happy that we moved there."

"Whatever, just make sure the nanny knows that she's not in charge of me," Rose muttered, but I caught it.

"The nanny will be in charge of you. This is a new city and you're too young to be running around. You'll have a driver just like your cousins and you will not take out your anger at us on the woman watching you, whether she is the lady that's been watching your cousins the last few years or not."

Rosalie put back in her earbuds, ending the conversation and she was asleep by the time we left Toledo. I had the music on at a level just high enough to keep me focused, but thankfully I didn't feel tired.

The drive was long when the kids weren't awake to chat with me, but as the sun began to rise we crossed Jersey before taking the Lincoln Tunnel into Manhattan. Everyone started to perk up as we entered the tunnel, and we drove straight to the house, hoping to beat Esme, but not surprised to see that we hadn't.

"There are my beautiful nieces. And Jasper look at how big you've gotten," Esme cried out as she hugged my kids before pulling me close. "You look good, Edward, and the house is almost completely put together. I didn't touch your things because I figured you'd want to organize yourself, but the common areas and the kids things are all taken care of."

Looking around as we walked inside, I could tell how hard she had worked. "Thank you, Esme, this is perfect."

"You're welcome, now, do you want to get them all settled first. Carlisle is going to have Bella bring the kids here around one or one-thirty, so that gives you a few hours to do whatever you want to."

Knowing I needed to get things set for the kids, Esme and I unloaded my car and put the bags and few boxes in the appropriate rooms. Rosalie was left to unpack her things in her room while I took Alice down to her room, hoping that she'd play while I unpacked her. We could hear Jasper and Esme above us, which was a distraction in and of itself for Alice.

It took a while, but everything was put away and soon Esme was making us soup and sandwiches for an early lunch. There wasn't much in the fridge, but that was something I was sure that I would remedy soon enough.

Carlisle walked in after lunch, gathering the kids before coming over to give me a hug. "Welcome to Manhattan, brother."

"Thanks," I told him. "Where are my nieces?"

"Bella was bringing them to the park, I was going to call her and tell her to bring them here. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, I might as well get it over with. No use in putting it off."

"Oh, Edward, let me show you her room. You can go explore the basement after that," Esme urged as we climbed into the elevator, leaving Carlisle to watch the kids as they went back up to the kids' floor.

The fourth floor had been set up with a very specific person in mind, I could tell as soon as I saw some of the touches in the room. The top floor had two little terraces and plenty of windows to let in light. I was sure that Bella would love what Esme had done for her.

After expressing my pleasure at all the hard work her and her team had done, I headed straight down to the basement, which housed my home office, gym, and my own private little den. I needed a man's floor after not having a space for myself in the house I shared with Tanya.

I started organizing the books on my bookshelves until an annoyed sounding Rosalie called down to me. "Dad, Uncle Carlisle said to get up here."

Knowing that I was likely being called up to meet Bella, I pulled out the contract information I'd had my lawyer draw up. I had taken care of all the paperwork to hire a nanny, so I left everything she would need down there until I got to talk to her for a while.

I ran up the stairs and entered the living room just as Carlisle opened the front door to let in Bella and the girls. My nieces ran in, all hugs and smiles, but as I looked up from them to see their caregiver, I froze.

Bella Swan was the exact opposite of everything I'd ever had or thought to wish for, but I was fucked because now that I'd seen her, I wanted her bad.

Carlisle introduced her as Isabella before telling me that everyone called her Bella, but hoping to keep a modicum of professionalism, I referred to her by her full first name. And then she called me 'Sir.'

Fuck did that sound good.

I asked her about her choice of career, because I didn't need someone who wasn't sure she wanted to continue to be a nanny coming in and then quitting. My children had been uprooted and I wouldn't allow any more disruptions in their lives.

Bella seemed sincere in her desire to keep her current day job so she could pursue her dream, but when I decided to ask about how she was with younger children I stepped in a heaping pile of shit.

It broke my heart to see her eyes water at the mention of her little sister and how an entire half of her family had been taken away from her at such a young age. After bumbling my way through an apology, we talked a little more before we moved upstairs to introduce her to my younger kids.

Rosalie was wearing on my patience with her rude behavior, but both Jasper and Alice opened up to Bella, who managed to engage both of them on their interests. Those few minutes proved that Bella would be a perfect fit with my kids, so as they turned back to their activities, I invited her to come into my office with me so we could discuss her contract.

Most of the details were similar to those of her arrangement with Carlisle and Esme and I told her that I understood that she'd be running errands with Alice, simply asking that she not bring her anywhere inappropriate.

The biggest shock was when I mentioned her moving in, and it was then that I realized that Esme hadn't mentioned that part of the arrangement.


	2. Chapter 2

Once again, thank you all for the love and support. The way these stories have been received is amazing and I appreciate every review, fave, follow, and shout out. Mizzdee is all things wonderful and good, and she has a major crush on this man so here he is.

**PLEASE READ! Quite a few people have asked if they need to read both stories, and I wanted to answer this here since many more might be wondering and not asking, or just saying, "ehh, they're the same, right?" Now, while the plot is the same, as they're companion pieces, as two separate people of varying ages and life experiences, (Bella is 24, Edward is 34 at this point in the story) they're way of approaching and thinking about things will be different. Also, they have lives that don't intersect all that much, especially in the beginning, so there are moments that will be missed, and some funny side characters that will only make brief appearances in the other story, because they're a friend or coworker of either Bella or Edward. I try to keep overlapping dialogue to only needed moments and I think you'll enjoy both sides. But choosing not to read both is still an option if you prefer. Just pop over to the other POV if there are questions about why either Bella or Edward acts a certain way in the opposite POV, because there's a good chance the answer will be there.**

******Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Chapter 2**

"Esme didn't tell you?" I asked, astounded that Esme wouldn't have mentioned it with the work she had put into her room upstairs. After explaining that I needed a live in nanny during the week and that she had an entire floor of the house at her disposal, I gave her the contract and let her read it over.

"The biggest thing that I will enforce that will interfere with your personal life is that I don't want any unapproved male visitors staying here overnight. If it's a friend then just give me a heads up, and it shouldn't be a problem, but I don't want you to bring a date home unless I've met him and feel comfortable with him being in my house with my kids." Part of me was against the idea of her parading strange men in front of me, but I wasn't about to say that.

She agreed to that without an argument and read through the rest of contract before signing it. I gave her a tour of the common areas, watching her eyes light up a bit at the kitchen. The second and third floors were all bedrooms with the exception of the media room, so we were quickly on the landing for what would be her little apartment during the week.

As soon as she entered the room, she gasped, which let me know that Esme had in fact designed this floor for Bella. I refused to address her by anything less than Isabella, but it was clear to see that Bella was the perfect name for her.

I watched as she took in the floor, poking her head into the bathroom and closet, and spending a little extra time around the sewing area and desk. She turned and told me that Esme knew I was going to be hiring her based on how the space was decorated and then proceeded to ask about when the kids would go to visit Tanya.

I gave her a brief history and then we went back down the third floor where the kids were playing in the area set up behind the couches in the media room.

Bella began to say her goodbyes when Esme looked down at her phone. "Bella, you'll still be good for meeting us for breakfast tomorrow at ten before we all head to your ceremony?"

"Yeah, ten is fine, Esme," Bella said before Rosalie decided that she was going to embarrass both herself and me by being rude to Bella. I was livid when I heard her call Bella 'the help' and pulled her out of the room before we could even say goodbye to Bella.

"Rosalie, what is your problem? Isabella will be your nanny, and if you disrespect her on a daily basis then the only time you will be seeing the friends you make will be in school because you will be grounded until you can show that you deserve to be trusted."

"You're taking her side over mine? Nice, Dad," she sniped, but I stepped in front of her before she could try and walk away.

"I am trusting her to take care of you and your siblings, and that requires that I back her up on some things, including disciplining my eldest daughter when she's acting like a child. Your mother and I raised you better than this," I told her.

"Sure, throw Mom in my face right after you tear me away from her and Chicago. I hate New York and I hate you," she yelled.

Knowing that raising my voice wouldn't help; I decided to let her cool down. "New York will grow on you, Rosalie. And I hope that in time you can get over your anger towards me, because I miss the Rosalie that told me about her day and confided in me."

I walked out of her bedroom to see Esme and Carlisle occupying the kids. Alice ran over as soon as I closed the door to Rose's room and I swept her up into my arms. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Sweetheart," I whispered.

Esme excused herself to order takeout for dinner and I put Alice down for a nap as she'd fallen asleep as soon as she'd rested her head on my chest. When I went downstairs to spend some time in my office, Esme stopped me as I passed by the kitchen.

"I know this is hard on you, Edward, but things will get better. Bella will be a huge help with the kids and Rosalie will find a way to cope with the divorce. I'm leaving you with a set of takeout menus for our favorites so you'll be well stocked, but don't forget to go grocery shopping. I only got you enough for a few days."

"Thank you again, Esme, you went above and beyond," I told her and she gave me a hug as she turned back to my sparsely filled kitchen.

"I was happy to help if it meant that you and the kids will be in our lives on a daily basis," she said and I took the opportunity to get some work done downstairs.

Dinner was stilted that night, and the kids each went into their respective bedrooms to watch movies. I wasn't a huge fan of them having a TV in their bedroom, but Tanya had thought it was important, so I had told Esme to get them TVs and bluray players only, so if they wanted to watch TV it had to be in a common room, and only children's channels without me to unlock them.

I was surprised that the kids settled in so well, but it was after hours of unpacking my office, leaving the boxes that would go into my den for tomorrow, that I found Alice curled up in the center of my bed, her face buried in my pillow.

Understanding her need for comfort, I got ready for bed and curled up with her, allowing her to spend the night with me this time.

Esme texted me the address for Norma's the next morning, which was their favorite breakfast place, and the location of our celebratory meal with Bella. I got the kids to dress for the occasion, which was easy with Alice and Jasper, but Rosalie was grumpy about it until she saw the new dress Esme had gotten her to wear for the graduation. Esme knew her fashion sense, and my daughter's flair for dramatics, so the dress was a big help to getting us to the restaurant on time.

We walked over to see everyone at the table already, so we settled in and began looking at the menu. The kids discussed the food while Esme and Bella talked about her moving in and Carlisle caught my attention.

"We have to play some golf while the kids are visiting Tanya. It's been ages since I've had you out on the course," Carlisle said and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Taking the doctors spend all their time on the golf course joke a little far, aren't you?"

"You're just mad because I can beat you with nothing but a putter and a nine iron," he teased.

"In your dreams old man," I shot back as Jasper asked a question that silenced the table.

"When are we meeting your mom and dad, Bella?"

I watched as tears wet her eyes, and with a brief glance to Esme she answered him with a grace well beyond her years as she explained that her father lived across the country and couldn't make the trip and that her mother had passed away. The table was quiet for another minute before Tia offered Bella a bit of comfort and conversation was resumed.

The chatter continued until the check came, which I handled without even looking at the slip, handing over my credit card so we could begin the trek to Brooklyn.

I signed the slip when it returned and then we left as a group to get our cars and head to the graduation. It wasn't that long of a drive, only about thirty minutes, and thankfully they had plenty of side streets where we could park. We walked onto the campus and with no one paying me much attention I was able to look at Bella a little closer.

She was wearing a turquoise form-fitting dress with a ruffle around the waist and black heels. It was mid-thigh in length and did dangerous things to my long dormant libido. I tried to look away, but as we milled around outside the sports complex where the graduation was being held, waiting for them to let us find seating, my eyes kept finding Bella.

Two of her classmates came over, dragging her away so they could line up with the rest of their class and before I could look away Carlisle grabbed my arm.

"Edward, I know that look, and if you have a brain in your head, you'll stop before you even start. Because it isn't just your life you'll be screwing with if you go after her. It is all of our lives. Just say no," Carlisle ended his chastisement and I sighed, having lost sight of her in the crowd, there wasn't much point of thinking about it now.

"You don't have to worry, Carlisle. She's beautiful, but my kids' happiness is more important and I can see that they love her already. It's just the fact that I've gone without for a while, but I promise you nothing will come of it."

"Nothing better come of it," Carlisle muttered and I rolled my eyes at him.

We found a set of seats and Esme was already pulling out things to occupy the kids. It was brilliant and I wish I had thought of it, but leave it to her to have a doll for Alice and a book for Jasper along with the iPads that the girls had. Rosalie was playing on her phone so I started texting Tanya to let her know how things had worked out yesterday.

_Met with Esme's nanny and hired her. She's great with the kids and is very capable._

She texted me back a few minutes later.

_Capable? Esme told me all about her. Once you're all settled and she has a routine have her call me._

I looked at the message for a minute, curious about what she wanted to talk to Bella about.

_Should I be worried about what you might have to say to my new employee?_

Her response was immediate.

_Relax, Edward. I just want to give her some tips for dealing with the kids and set up a Skype date so I can chat with them once a week._

Feeling bad for assuming she would cockblock me from 800 miles away, I answered her back.

_Of course, I'll put her in touch with you. Have to go, we're at her graduation and it's starting._

With a final reply, Tanya said goodbye.

_Her graduation? She's younger than I thought. Talk to you soon._

Turning my attention to the stage, I sat through the graduation, only looking at my phone a few times during the long speeches. When it came time for the students to walk across the stage, we all let out a hearty cheer, Rosalie excluded as she sulked in her seat about having to sit in the crowded bleachers on such a hot and sunny day. If it was the beach she would be in love, but since it was someone else's celebration, and a person she wasn't fond of at the moment to boot, she wasn't shy about her groaning.

After the ceremony, we met up with Bella long enough to congratulate her and speak a few words. Alice walked right up to her, and Bella lifted her without hesitation, causing me to smile at how well this was going to work out. Of course, I had to remind myself to call her Isabella as I congratulated her, but did tell her to call me Edward. Hearing my first name roll off her tongue was a temptation I would have to live with, because the 'sir' and 'Mr. Cullen' business would get old fast.

Her friends came over and Esme and Carlisle congratulated them as well as Bella introduced us. She informed me that the two were a couple and asked if Ben would be allowed to spend time at the house as he was one of her closest friends and not someone she would ever look at romantically. I was glad to hear that, seeing how close they were, but also happy that she was giving me a heads up that he would be around the kids like I had asked. It seemed that Bella was very thorough and thoughtful.

At the mention of meeting the Pastor I balked, but her friend Angela explained that Bella was referring to her father, who was taking the group out for dinner to celebrate their graduation.

We said goodbye and I piled into the car with the kids, making the executive decision to order groceries to the house so we had a chance of eating anything besides takeout. Though that would be a problem, because we didn't have any real cookware in the house either. With that thought, I resolved to have Esme do some shopping for my kitchen.


	3. Chapter 3

******Sorry for the delay, but last minute Christmas shopping mixed with the beginning of prep for my move had me running behind. But here is Edward, ready to shed a little more light.**

******Thanks for all the love. I can't reply to all of your beautiful reviews, but I cherish each word. I try to answer questions if they aren't spoilers, and I will be getting back into the habit of shouting out to milestone reviewers.******** I figure you would rather have me writing, especially with some of the other fics that are nearly complete. Mizzdee keeps me straight on all my little details, and keeps me sane in RL. She's a gem and she has some amazing stories, so pop over to her profile.**

******Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Chapter 3**

It slipped my mind when Bella and Esme were at the house the next day, so I called her on Sunday to ask if she had a meeting with a client the next morning or if she could do me one last favor for the house, her response was a smug snicker.

"I should have known that you would need more for the kitchen, but I gave you the benefit of the doubt when you mentioned that all you needed was dishware. Though I honestly don't have a clue what you will need to completely stock your kitchen. There are so many little things and I don't use half of them."

"Why don't you ask Isabella to help? She will be using it, and with her culinary training I'm sure she knows exactly what she will need. Let her get what she wants and will use, but if she finds a gold plated spatula, talk her out of it."

A loud laugh echoed through the phone before Esme got a hold of herself. "It's clear that you don't know her very well, which is understandable since you just met. Bella isn't the type to spend your money unless she has to. There are times when she's out with the kids and she'll do something extra and pay for it herself because she doesn't think that we should have to because she got ambitious. You'll learn soon enough that it is infuriating to get her to take your money."

"How do you handle spending money with her and the kids?" I asked, because I would need to set something up.

"Carlisle set up a refillable credit card for her. So we put money on it and refill it as she's running low. Bella will normally mention plans she has before taking the kids somewhere, especially if it is costly, but if there's ever a big charge you can just ask her about it and she'll tell you. Bella is very responsible when it comes to that. She inherited money from her mother and stepfather, but she still lives very frugally. The only time I really see her dip into her savings is when she had to pay her tuition every semester."

"That's very good to know. So you'll ask her to help you with the kitchen?"

"Sure, I will call her today and see if we can do it tomorrow. And to answer the original question I don't have a client tomorrow, I left the extra day open in case you or Bella needed me, which it seems you do," she told me before saying something to Tia.

"That's great, Esme, I'll let you go since you're home with the girls and I will talk to you tomorrow."

"Bye, Edward," she said as she hung up.

Knowing I had that covered, I went upstairs to take one of the suitcases and pack Alice and Jasper's things into one bag, so it would be easier for Tanya to handle once she had them all together.

Alice was down for a nap and Jasper was reading in his room, so I decided to pop in on Rosalie and see if she was in a better mood today.

"Hey, honey, are you all packed for your trip with your mom?"

"Yes, and I used the bag with the long handle so Jasper and Alice's bag can fit over it," she told me as she looked up from her phone.

"That was thoughtful, and I'm sure your mom will appreciate it," I said.

"Dad, are you going to put me back into therapy?" she asked abruptly.

"I think it might help you, but I know you didn't like going in Chicago," I admitted. That was an understatement, because she fought us every step of the way until we finally gave up.

"It isn't my problem, Dad. You divorced Mom, so you two need therapy, but my anger is justified, you broke up our family."

"You're allowed to be upset, but lashing out isn't the answer. Once you make friends here and get a feel for the city, it will be something to enjoy. You'll have your friends in Chicago and New York, time with your Mom and living here with me, it's the best of both worlds."

"Whatever, Dad, I guess I just don't understand it," she muttered.

"That's all right, but if you want to talk, you know I'm here, right?" I questioned her.

"Yeah," she sighed.

"Okay, I'll leave you alone. Love you, kid."

"Love you too, Dad," she responded as I went back down into my office.

I had finally straightened out the last of my things and I was trying to get things ready for the morning. Tanya had gotten a red eye out of Chicago, so I would be meeting her with the kids at her gate because of Alice's age, and then heading off to get to work a little late while they went to Virginia for the week.

Eleazar was the CEO and ran the company from the New York office, and he had handpicked me to come out and make the move. There was word that this was only a temporary position as someone above me would be retiring and he preferred to hire from his staff rather than bring someone in to fill the high level position. It wasn't substantiated, but all I knew was that I was happy for the timing of everything as it brought me to New York.

Tomorrow was my first day in the New York office and I would have a lot of work to do. I still wasn't entirely sure why the new position opened up, but I was ready to get back into the daily routine.

I ordered in again with the kids and then had them in bed early, knowing we had to be at the airport at six-thirty to get through security so we could wait for Tanya.

Sleep eluded me for a while as I thought about the next two weeks without my kids in the house, and the fact that Bella would be using that time to get herself settled before the kids were back. I was nervous about having her in the house without the kids there as a buffer, but I would soon see.

Somewhere in my musings about Bella, I fell asleep, the alarm waking me at four thirty. I took a quick shower and then woke up Alice and Jasper, knowing I needed to get them showered before I let Rosalie take her time in the bathroom.

Alice was whiney, because she was sleepy, but after I got her in the bath with her bubbles she was happy to play for a few minutes. I could hear the shower turn off upstairs, letting me know that Jasper was on his way to getting dressed, so I got Alice out of the tub and dressed before I woke up Rosalie.

"Ugh, why do I have to be up so early?" she groaned.

"Because we have to leave in forty-five minutes, so get in the shower and then get dressed."

I finished getting the kids ready and then got out some cereal for us to eat. It was a quiet breakfast once they all made it down the stairs, and soon I had them in the car on the way to JFK.

The ticket counter and security checkpoint was more involved because they had to let me through security until the kids had met with Tanya, so once the four of us had been checked in and I was given my instructions for meeting up with Tanya and then checking out with security before I left, we could finally head for the terminal.

The kids were quiet, but Alice was perched on my lap, her tiny fists holding onto my suit jacket as we waited for their mother.

The time ticked by until I felt Alice jump and cling to me tighter.

"Hi, guys," Tanya said as she approached. Rosalie and Jasper ran to give her a hug, but Alice kept looking back at me. "Alice, honey, are you okay?"

"I don't want to leave Daddy," she whispered.

I held her tight as I whispered into her ear. "Baby, it's only for two weeks while you go on a trip with your mom, Rose, and Jazz. I'm going to be keeping busy so that the time will speed by and before we all know it, you'll be back with me. But this is your time to have fun with your mommy."

"I don't want you to be alone," she cried.

"Alice, I have your aunt and uncle, the girls, and Isabella will be moving in so that she's all ready for you when you get home. Plus I'll be at work, so I will have all my co-workers to keep me from getting lonely. I will be okay while you take your trip," I promised her.

"Okay, Daddy, I love you." She threw her arms around my neck and hugged me tight before hugging Tanya hello.

"Take care, and have fun with them," I told her after I had hugged Rosalie and Jasper.

"Thank you, and take the time to get yourself settled so that you'll be ready for their return. Because you're right about how time will fly," she said as they sat back down in the seats we'd been sitting in. Having safely delivered them to their mother, I went back to security, and then made my way out to the parking lot.

With the traffic, I got to work right at nine-thirty and made my way to Eleazar's office. His secretary looked up and smiled at me, standing as soon as I approached her desk.

"Good morning, Mr. Cullen, Mr. Sands is waiting for you."

"Thank you…" I trailed off, hoping she would introduce herself. She was obviously good at her job if she was working for Eleazar, and unlike many of the young women working in our offices, she kept eye contact with me instead of checking me out, which impressed me even more.

"Maggie, Mr. Cullen. And I will be sure to call your secretary so that she will be ready when you are finished with Mr. Sands." She returned to her desk as I entered the office and found myself face to face with my boss.

"Edward, it's good to have you on the East Coast," Eleazar greeted me as he stepped away from a man who was a few years younger than me.

"It's definitely a change, but I'm ready to do the work," I said, looking back to the guy he had been talking to.

"Well that's good because we're going to let you jump right into things," Eleazar said. "Edward Cullen, this is Garrett Murphy. Garrett will be your junior executive and right hand man. Now, your position was created because we needed to spread out the accounts we had between our execs, and with the VP position opening up, I want to see who works the best so that I have the most qualified person running creative.

"Your biggest task in the next few days will be filling your staff. I had HR set you up with a secretary on a trial basis, and you can choose to either groom her to be your secretary, or she can return to reception and you can hire someone new. We've listed the jobs for assistants so we can see what crop of future ad men and women we have coming in today. I will let you get to work, Garrett can show you to your new office and your secretary will be able to go over your schedule for the week."

Eleazar shook my hand again and it was at this time that Garrett approached me. "Great to meet you, Edward, I've heard a lot about you."

"Good to meet you too, now what do you say we head down and try to figure out a game plan for the next few days?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," he agreed and we took the elevator down a floor to where the majority of the offices were.

Garrett quickly explained that unlike the Chicago office, the New York office had three large floors in which to spread out the layout. The lower floor was where the Art Department, IT, Finance, HR, PR, etc, had their offices. The main floor was where a majority of the offices for the executives were, as well as their assistants and the main reception area out front. The top floor was the offices of the company officers, boardrooms, conference and meeting rooms, and the viewing rooms that were used to show commercials and other media.

It didn't take long to find where our offices were, because the outer office area seemed too quiet since we hadn't hired our team yet. There was a young woman sitting at the desk outside our offices, her attention focused on the papers in front of her. She was making notes, so I felt bad to interrupt her train of thought, but we had a long day ahead of us.

"Excuse me, Miss?"

Her head snapped up and she rushed to stand, walking around the desk in obvious embarrassment. "Mr. Cullen?"

"Yes, and this is Garrett Murphy, are you my new secretary?" I asked more for confirmation than anything.

"Yes, Sir. I'm sorry for not being more observant, but HR sent me the list of scheduled interviews and it seems that they have made an error with the timing, so I was looking for a way to adjust the timing without it pushing you further behind schedule," she explained. It only took her a moment to realize that she hadn't introduced herself, a situation that she quickly rectified. "I'm Gianna Antonelli, by the way, and let me say that it's a pleasure to get the chance to work for you."

"Well, Gianna, I've never been one to require titles, so how about you call me Edward and show me the schedule you're referring to."

Gianna nodded, escorting us back to my office and showing us the parade of interviews HR had set up for the week. We had ten assistant positions to fill, and there were easily forty interviews planned between now and Tuesday, giving us three days to wade through HRs top choices. I hoped to have the ten we wanted selected by the end of next week so we could start fresh on Monday taking on some of the client work.

The conflict that Gianna had noticed, two interviews at the same time was annoying, but between Garrett and I working together we hoped to get through the interviews in less than the scheduled time, so we could make up for the typo that way. As Gianna went to take her post in the outer office, I called to catch her attention.

"My sister-in-law should be arriving with my children's nanny soon, show them in when they arrive."

"Will do, Edward," Gianna said as she left.


	4. Chapter 4

******Here's a little bit of Yule love for you all. I will be posting on Christmas this week (it'll give me a few extra presents when I see your response!) and then we're going to keep moving into the New Year. LunaEvanna Longbottom was reviewer # 50 on ffn and Veronique24 left review 25 on twcs. Mizzdee deserves a big hug as always for her help with these chapters, she combs over them side by side to make sure there aren't any flubs.**

******Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Chapter 4**

Garrett and I were able to spend a little bit of time getting to know each other before the intercom beeped to let me know that Bella and Esme were here. Gianna escorted them through the deserted office and Garrett excused himself so that we could talk in private.

I gave Bella all the necessary information about the security system and her keys, asking if she had any questions. Esme was paying less attention to our conversation as she looked at the absolute lack of anything around the office. I hadn't brought my boxes in from the car yet, but I had a feeling she would be asking if I needed some things to fill my shelves and wall space at some point this weekend.

Bella's focus however, was on not wanting to spend all of my money. It was sweet that she was so worried about it, and right along with Esme's assurance that she would not want to go overboard. I assured her that if it was something she thought would be helpful, that I wanted her to get it and was happy to see the smile it brought to her face.

I even offered to take her to get some of her things from her apartment tomorrow as it was Saturday and we both were without kids, another agreement we were easily able to make.

The ladies left and we were soon beginning our interviews. The day dragged on as we asked the same questions over and over, but there were a few people to consider, including Bella's friend, Ben Cheney. He had really impressed me, and Garrett appreciated how he thought of things from different perspectives, mentioning a project from school which included a lot of interactive aspects, something that was becoming more and more prevalent in the market. Though we had some strong candidates, Ben was the only one we hired on the spot, sending him down to HR to begin his paperwork.

We made our notes, and I was left alone in the office for a while. I made the trip to my car to get the boxes of personal effects and started to make the office look like someone used it. I could have done it at any point, but the fact that Bella was home was something I was trying to avoid as long as possible. I was trying to resist temptation, and she was damn tempting.

When it was too late to delay going home any longer, I discarded the boxes by the recycling bin, knowing someone would find a use for them if they weren't broken down to be recycled themselves, and drove home.

I was surprised to find that the alarm wasn't set, and I hoped that it meant that Bella was home and had lost track of time and not that she had left without setting the security system. Making the trip to the fourth floor, I knocked on the door and was pleased to see Bella standing in a much more lived-in looking room.

The topic of groceries came up and I was surprised that it hadn't been mentioned prior to this. Tanya had always taken care of that, though I assumed they were delivered and not hand-picked like Bella would be doing. I offered to go with her, smiling at the idea that she and I would share something that not even my ex-wife and I had. Of course I castigated myself a moment later. I covered it by telling her that we'd hired Ben at Clearwater and her excitement for her friend was so endearing. For the three of them fresh out of college, the job search could be very harrowing, but it appeared that they were doing well for themselves so far.

I went to leave, mentioning that since she was staying here we didn't have to leave so early, but she cut me off as she told me that she planned to go back to Little Italy. In truth it wasn't late, but she'd been running all around today and I was sure she was tired, a point I continued to push as she tried to get out of it.

"I don't like it. It's half the reason that this is a live-in position. I knew I would worry about whoever I hired getting home after their day." She looked like she might put up another roadblock, but to my relief, she conceded and I was able to say goodnight and return to the kitchen to reheat some baked ziti from the night before and then headed to my room to try and relax after my long day.

Of course, sleep didn't come easy when I knew that Bella was just two floors away with no kids around to interrupt. I doubted she would look at me that way, with nine years and three kids making our lives very different, but it didn't stop me from thinking of her that way. As much as I was loathed to admit it, the only relief I found came after I gave up and decided to take a shower, imaginary images of her bringing me my release. It was wrong to objectify her in that way, but if I had a shot of keeping my cool around her, I would have to do something.

Finally spent, I changed into a pair of sleep shorts and fell asleep.

The next morning I woke up and dressed for a casual day in jeans and a polo shirt. I made my way down to the kitchen to make coffee now that I had a proper coffee machine. The airtight container sat in the empty pantry, and I knew that there wasn't even sugar in the house if Bella took her coffee light and sweet.

The smell of the Hawaiian nectar drew me out of my haze as I waited to pour myself a mug, settling down with it just as Bella joined me. She asked about the coffee, noticing that it was a quality brew, so I explained how I ordered it online. We agreed to grab bagels on our way to her apartment because there wasn't anything in the house and then I had to ruin the light mood we'd been in this morning by once again putting my foot in my mouth.

Truly, there wasn't a thing wrong with what she was wearing, but Tanya didn't even wear active wear out when she was on her way to the gym, so the fact that Bella had planned to go out like that hadn't entered my mind. Her face flushed as she looked down at her clothes and she muttered about how she was going to change, running for the elevator.

I sat there, no longer feeling very hungry or thirsty as I waited for her to return. When she did, I apologized, and she smiled politely and made excuses for me, saying that we needed to get used to each other.

I decided to get us on the road if we were going to get anything done, so we walked down the block to get my car and then grab breakfast on our way to her apartment.

There wasn't much talking on the ride over, but as we got to Bella's apartment we discussed the game plan for getting her stuff into my SUV. Most of the boxes were heavy; she revealed that they were books, fabrics, and other random odds and ends. The largest and most peculiar thing we had to fit in was her dress form, which we luckily fit in the well in the back seat and then filled the seats with boxes before moving onto the trunk.

Everything that she wanted to move into my house was in the car in one trip, so I gave her a few minutes to lock up and then we drove back to the brownstone. I double parked the car and we moved everything into the entryway before I left to park it down the street for a little while.

I did most of the lifting of the boxes into the elevator and then once everything was in her room, I asked if she wanted help unpacking, but she thought it was best that we do the grocery shopping now. I guessed I couldn't blame her for not wanting her boss to be going through her stuff, so we were once again in my car heading to not one, but two grocery stores.

"Why do we need to go to both?" I asked.

"Because, Whole Foods has a lot of the specialty items I need, but the junk food and staples that are needed either won't be there, or will be way too expensive. You hired a chef, Edward, we're picky about our ingredients."

"Whatever you say, Isabella," I conceded as we parked down the street from D'Agostinos.

Watching Isabella shop was a little crazy. She got two carts and then proceeded to fill them very methodically. "You know what kind of junk food you and the kids like so throw it all in here too and we can make a list of what they like later so I can go shopping without fear."

I nodded and began adding to the cart, watching the sheer volume of some things that she picked out. When she added twenty pounds of sugar to the cart, I raised an eyebrow at her. "Sweet tooth, much?"

"You have no idea how much sugar and flour goes into everything. It won't last, believe me, and when I start making ice cream, it'll go even faster."

I watched the precision with which she pulled things off the shelf, marking off a massive list that sat on top of her purse in her cart. When we got to the register, we filled up the conveyer belt and then I left to pull around the car because we'd never make it to the car otherwise. Bella took the cash from me with a little apprehension, but I knew that everything was needed to make our kitchen functional.

By the time Bella was done I was out front, so we loaded up and put the carts back inside as we headed to Whole Foods. Once again I was driving my own cart and following as she weaved her way through the store like an expert, pulling things from the shelves without so much as a glance before I asked what else we could possible need.

"All that's left is the meat counter," she told me and then proceeded to place some substantial orders. I almost thought about teasing her until I saw her reaction to the total.

She looked shocked when I asked her if it was a normal total, but when she assured me that it was because there was nothing at the house, I was able to calm her down. "Then breathe," I joked. "We need to eat."

Bella offered to make me something special for dinner, and even with my attempt to get her to relax during her two weeks off, she insisted. And honestly, she seemed so happy to do it, I wasn't about to refuse her.

Unloading the car back out the house was almost as bad as it had been packing up her apartment, but once everything was in the kitchen I left her to her own devices so that she could organize everything. I had emails from the other execs that outlined the current campaigns I would be taking over, as well as the list of pitches we would have to work on in the hopes of getting some of the new clients shopping for someone to do their advertising.

I printed out the material so I could read it and then got to work until the aroma of whatever Bella was cooking found me. I found her at the stove engrossed in what she was doing to the point that my compliment scared her.

I got our drinks while she set the island for us to eat and then we settled into easy conversation about what her plans were for the next few weeks. Angela's job search came up and I tried to reassure her that she'd find something soon enough. I asked her about the close relationship she had with Ben and Angela and she went on to tell me about how they and my brother's family were all she had in the city.

"We are. Angela is like my sister and Ben's one of my best friends. I was alone in this city before them, trying to escape Florida and Washington and live on my own. The two of them and your family have really taken care of me the past few years and I'm so grateful for all of them," she explained.

"I can tell by how much my nieces talk about you that you're important to them too. My children need that kind of fun in their lives." I thought about how hard the last few years had been, fun was definitely something they were lacking.

"And what do you need, Edward?" she asked.

"A fresh start," I admitted.

I was thankful that she didn't push and soon she had the kitchen cleaned and went upstairs for the night.

The rhythm continued for most of that first week without the kids. I was up before Bella, leaving coffee for her to drink when she got up as I headed to the office. Garrett and I fell in quite well together and Gianna proved to be exactly what I needed in a secretary. She truly filled the role of an assistant in the traditional sense of the word as well, but with all the 'underlings' being called assistants, it would become far too confusing to use the term with her. But she asked the questions that were necessary to do her job and help me balance my personal life with my professional one, making sure to patch through calls from Tanya and the kids, as well as Carlisle and Esme. Bella was someone else on the list of people to interrupt me for, but she hadn't had a reason to with the kids away.

We hired the rest of our support team and by the end of the week we had them working on learning the new accounts. I personally called the point people from all of our new accounts, explaining that Garrett and I were taking their accounts now that the New York office was expanding and reassuring them that they would receive the same level of attention from us as they had from our predecessors.

Dinners were the only time I really saw Bella, but she was always politely sociable. I'd set up her pre-paid credit card so that it was available when she went grocery shopping in a few days and we continued on with our normal routine.

I took the Friday before my birthday off to pick the kids up from the airport and spend some time with them, something Garrett was very happy to cover for. He didn't have a family yet, but I could tell he was ready to start the process, and his willingness to help me out was something I was more than happy to reciprocate if he needed it.

I was standing at the gate when they arrived, an exhausted looking Tanya trailing behind them.

"Daddy," Alice screamed as she barreled towards me.

"There's my sweet girl, did you enjoy Virginia?"

"Uh huh, we went to the water park, and the 'musement park, and the col-colono-" Alice struggled to tell me they went to Williamsburg, but when I finished it for her she gasped. "How'd you know?"

"I've been there; it's a lot of fun, right?"

"It was so cool," Jasper cut in as I hugged him.

Rosalie let me throw an arm around her in greeting, allowing the kids to get one more goodbye in with their mom before we headed home.

"Where is Beya?" Alice asked after we'd made it through baggage claim and out to the car.

"She's shopping with your cousins, so she should be home by the time we get there," I explained as Rosalie groaned. "Isabella lives with us, Rosalie, don't embarrass me by being rude."

The ride passed with my younger two kids enthusiastically telling me about their trip. We actually beat Bella and the girls home, so when Jasper and Alice heard them enter, they ran down to ambush her. I, however, was focused on the groceries she'd bought.

"That looks like a lot of groceries for someone who just went shopping on Tuesday," I teased her, snatching the edge of the bag to find out what she got this time.

"Well, I didn't know what I was making for tomorrow night on Tuesday, but the girls helped me out with the perfect birthday dinner," she said just as she closed the bag he was trying to investigate.

"No fair," I pouted.

"No peeking," she countered with a sexy little smirk as she put some of the items away.

All joking aside, I felt bad that she had gone to all the trouble for me, and I told her as much. "Isabella, you didn't have to plan a big dinner for me."

"Yes I did. We do it for everyone on their birthday, and now that you and the kids are here, it just means we have more birthdays to celebrate. I don't mind it, Edward. I went to school for it, and it's nice to celebrate with a big family." She wasn't able to hide the wistful sigh as she talked about having a big family, so I shut my mouth to keep from upsetting her.

"Just know that I appreciate it, and tomorrow is Saturday, which means that it's your day off. Special dinner aside, you don't have to watch the kids. I'll be hanging out here with them all day."

I went up to the media room to check on the kids, but as I grew thirsty I went downstairs to get something and was shocked by how Rosalie was speaking to Bella. I had just warned her about being rude and she was already doing it.

Choosing that moment to interrupt, I asked, "Is there a problem here?"

Rosalie lied right to my face, and I laid it on thick about how proud I was, knowing that she could see that I heard more than I let on.

Bella reassured me that sometimes giving extra responsibility makes teens behave better because they feel like little adults, and I was more than willing to trust her on this for now. Unable to resist the chance to flirt a little, I got close as I whispered about how good the cake smelled.

I noticed the shiver and the darkening of her eyes as she regarded me, both being enough of a reaction for now as I went back to the kids in the media room, giving Bella space for the rest of the day. All I knew was that thirty-five might just be an amazing year.


	5. Chapter 5

******Thanks for all of the birthday and Christmas wishes. I've got a few weeks left before the big move, so I will be busy, but this story is pre-written out a decent amount so there shouldn't be a posting issue for the forseeable future. For all of you wishing Edward would make his move, here's a little treat. No move, but a little fun to start off with.**

******Mizzdee is all things wonderful and good, both in fic life and RL. My darling reviewers and readers that have come my way from Tarbecca's rec on ADF, thanks for taking a chance on me as well as the ones that have been with me from the beginning, and all those in between, I hope your holidays were great and have an early Happy New Year. **

******Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Chapter 5**

I was in the middle of the most amazing dream about Bella, her chestnut hair fanned out on my pillows and her eyes squeezed shut as I plowed into her repeatedly. Her body was arching and thrashing around as she tried to hold out a little longer, to make our moment together last as long as possible. She was panting my name, begging for release when I was jolted out of my dream by someone landing on my bed.

I heard Alice cheer out 'happy birthday' as I tried to find out just how early she'd woken me up. Bella's voice had me bolting upright as I saw her standing in the doorway with a tray of food. When she explained that Alice had convinced her to make me breakfast I instantly felt bad, but she played it off as nothing and then told me how Alice was the perfect little helper.

"Okay, well I've got her now so you can head off to do whatever you had been before she decided to make me breakfast," I told her and she said goodbye before she went back downstairs.

I ate my breakfast with Alice sitting beside me, a truly happy look on her face.

"I like Beya, Daddy."

"I do too, she's very good with you guys and she cooks the best food," I replied and Alice looked up at me.

"Beya cook a lot?"

"Yes, while you were with your mommy, Bella cooked for us every night, just like she will now that you're back."

"Yay, I glad Beya took care of you too," Alice said as she rolled over to get comfortable on my bed. The fact that my three year-old was worried about who would be taking care of me broke my heart a little, but it also showed how loving my little girl was.

Once I was done eating I brought down my plates and put them in the dishwasher, seeing Bella out on the back terrace as she fiddled with the fire pit. It made me realize that I could easily keep a discrete eye on her as she worked outside, so when I returned upstairs to find Alice asleep on my bed, I opened the doors to the terrace and brought out one of the books that I'd been meaning to read, pretending that I might do something beside watch Bella.

She constructed something on top of the pit and then left it alone, which confused me a bit, but I wasn't about to ask her what she was planning. She was gone for a little while, checking the pit occasionally before she returned with a large plate of meat that she put on the fire pit and then returned to the house.

It took a while, but she reemerged from the house with her laptop and was tapping away on the keys in between checking on the meat.

I eventually went downstairs to ask her about dinner, telling her that it seemed like a lot of trouble, but she assured me that it was fine. "It can be, but it's worth it, and it makes enough to freeze some and have it later."

Just as I was about to respond, there was a knock at the door so I went to let in Carlisle and his family.

"Happy Birthday, Uncle Eddie," Charlotte and Tia yelled as they hugged me. Carlisle and Esme wished me a happy birthday as well before Carlisle followed his nose into the kitchen.

I watched as Esme set the table and got things organized for when it was time for dessert and presents while Bella let the chili simmer together for a little bit longer.

When the food was done we all sat down to eat and it was by far the best damn chili I had ever had. The room was silent except for the sounds of people eating an amazing meal and I made sure to thank her.

Having my family close to joke and talk about our plans for summer made me realize what we had been missing not having family around these last few years. After dinner, Esme offered to help Bella clean up while my kids and nieces all moved in with the gifts.

Charlotte gave me a framed water color painting she had done of the brownstone, which I immediately told her was going in my office at work. Tia gave me a sleeve of golf balls, which I knew was partially Carlisle's way of trying to get me back out on the links.

Jasper had picked out a wax seal set as well as a pen and ink well, which I told him would be displayed in my office as well. That boy was obsessed with history, and I would have to find something that would get him as excited as his trip to Williamsburg had.

Alice gave me a stuffed lion that she picked out at Busch Gardens and Rosalie got me a coffee table book on New York. I thanked all of the kids for their great gifts and then opened the iPad that Esme and Carlisle got me. They mandated that it be used for fun, and I agreed, because I didn't have a lot of games on my computer, so it would be fun to have something that I could use when I needed to get out of my head.

I looked up to see Bella carrying my birthday cake over, and was thrilled to realize it was a homemade cake, and not something Esme bought at a bakery. I blew out the candles with a single thought on my mind – I hope I figure things out with Bella.

Dessert was filled with more laughter but a phone call interrupted the end. "Seth, what's up?"

I frowned at how happy she was to hear from him, but thankfully Charlotte unsuspectingly filled in the blanks. "Rosalie, wait until Bella's step-brother comes to town for a visit. Seth is _so_ hunky."

"I don't think I should be hearing this," I muttered dryly, but Charlotte just rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Uncle Eddie, he's a fisherman and he's Native American so he's all tan and stuff. Plus he takes really good care of B. The first time we met him he was out here because of her jerk of an ex, and he spent the whole week going around the city with us and finding funny ways to make her smile."

That image of her 'hunky' brother did make me smile, because it meant that she had someone in her life to defend her, but I wasn't sure how I felt about my niece and daughter having a crush on the guy.

Bella got off the phone and explained that her dad had tried to call her apartment, but she wasn't returning his calls as she'd been living here the last two weeks. Carlisle and Esme seemed to know her dad, or at least what he was like, so I guess they had really become her second family.

Carlisle and Esme rounded up the kids and to my surprise, Alice asked Bella to watch a movie in her princess bed. I almost said that she didn't have to give in to Alice, but Bella answered my worry that she was doing it out of obligation.

"It's okay, Edward. I'll see you in the morning."

The rest of the kids went upstairs so I locked up and took my own things up to my room. I set up my iPad and downloaded a few games, deciding to put my toy to good use.

The next morning, I headed downstairs to find Jasper sitting on the couch with a book. "Where'd you get that, buddy?"

"Bella bought them for me while we were on vacation. They're 'pick your own adventure' books." He sounded so enthusiastic, and I was happy that Bella had already figured out a way to engage him.

"That's great. I'm sure you'll be spending plenty of time reading those books, but today we're going to spend it together."

"What are we doing?" Jasper asked.

"I thought I would let you and your sisters decide," I told him and he eagerly agreed.

An hour later, when the girls came down, I asked them what they wanted to do today, they decided to stay home and do a movie marathon. It was easy to make some snacks and settle them in upstairs and then the first movie was chosen by Alice. _Tangled_ managed to hold everyone's interest, and the kids seemed to pick movies that they knew the others would enjoy. I threw together sandwiches for lunch, and then ordered pizza for dinner, Bella settling in to watch Alice's second pick.

Rosalie bristled a bit, but didn't act out, which I saw as an improvement from the other day. In truth it was a perfect way to ease us all into this new dynamic with Bella being in charge of them during the day while I'm working.

The evening was uneventful and after story time and kisses goodnight, I went into my room to read over some paperwork before bed, leaving Bella to her own devices. Tomorrow would be the test for her and I was intrigued to see how she handled it.

Monday morning I headed to work with Bella upstairs, so I didn't get a chance to wish her luck. I walked the short distance to the office and found Gianna already at her desk.

"Good morning, Gia," I said as I passed her desk.

"Morning, Edward, the proofs you'd requested from the art department are on your desk, and Ben and Alec wanted a few minutes of your time this morning, so I scheduled them for nine-thirty."

"Good, that means they have something for the Solez account," I mentioned as I went back to my office. I had my gift from Charlotte in my briefcase, and the first chance I had, I hung that thing up. She was an amazing artist, and she deserved to be shown off.

I spent the time before my co-workers arrived catching up on what had been left for me on Friday, since I'd been off, and by the time Ben and Alec walked in I was ready to hear what they had to say.

"I assume this has to do with the Solez campaign?" I asked and Ben nodded.

"We were thinking, they had that contest recently where people submitted their designs to win a chance to have them mass produced for the website to be sold alongside the design your own shoe line, but what if we used some of the people who competed, whether they were the winners or not, in the ads. Show real people wearing their real designs. We could do it in print and a TV campaign, even make a little gif for their online banners and ads. It works great with their slogan, 'show us your solez', and it banks of the advertising for the contest. The winner's shoes will get featured, but some of the others can get a little recognition too." Ben finally clammed up and I couldn't help but smile. It was a damn good idea, and I could tell that Alec was waiting to show me something.

"Do you have anything to add, Alec?"

"Well, we looked at the contest site, and the links to their Instagram and Twitter accounts that were receiving pictures and some of the people sent in some pretty creative shots. We could take the designs and the people who made them and find creative ways to work both of them in, like this."

I took the sketch pad from Alec and saw a mock up of a pair of flip flops sitting on the sand, the tropical pattern displayed on the top while the impression of the engraving on the soles was below them. In the distance, you saw a woman running into the surf carrying one of the lifeguard floaters. It was a cute idea, and if we found interesting ways to show off the designs and the people who made them, it would bring more users to the site.

Solez Shoes had a line of shoes they designed, but the bigger draw was the design your own shoes. While most companies might let you make basic choices, this site gave you the template for the shoes and you could overlay any original image you wanted, showing you just how it would look. On top of that, you could have a word etched into the soles of the shoes. They were pricey, but for custom shoes you could do a lot worse.

"I like it, we'll pitch it to them in a few days when they come in, but try to make a back-up in case they want to move away from the contest."

"Can do, Edward," Ben said as the pair left.

The rest of the day was hectic, but it moved by without too much drama and when I arrive home all of the kids were slumped on the couch, seemingly tuckered out from their first day with Bella.

The rest of the week continued in much the same way, work moved steadily, the President of Solez Shoes loved the idea of using the contest to tie into the new ads, and I came home every day to happy and exhausted kids.

Bella hadn't done any trips around the city, choosing to stay at the house this week and it seemed to help her get to know the kids better. When I came home after making a detour to buy beach supplies for the kids on Thursday, Bella had once again settled them and was downstairs when I arrived.

Tanya had called again that afternoon, wanting to talk to Bella about the kids and setting up her Skype time, so I asked her to speak with her while I went to pop my head in on Jasper.

After dialing her number, I went up to Jazz's room and as soon as I entered the room I found him fast asleep, his book resting on his chest and the light on his nightstand still on. I marked his place in the book and turned off the light, kissing his forehead as I tucked him and walked downstairs to find that Bella had finished her call with Tanya.

She checked with me that Tanya Skyping with the kids was okay and after I explained the agreement and told her that the media room was best, I texted her Tanya's number so she had it if she needed it and then wished her goodnight. Once she was upstairs, I ate the leftovers she'd put in the microwave and then went up to my room, knowing that tomorrow I'd be up before God and everyone so that we could get on the road to Carlisle's house out on the island.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for the delay in these chapters, but since the beginning of the year I was working non-stop to get ready for my cross-country move. I'm in the middle of the trip, but finally had some time to post the chapter. We will continue with our regular posting schedule from here.

Also, I was finally able to get my stories onto FictionPad, so they are on there as well as twcs and ffn. I have to change the rating on most of them, but they're all updated and set up. I will be adding more over there over time, but for now it's something.

Thank you all for the support on these stories.

******Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Chapter 6**

I had thankfully gotten the young ones packed last night, and Rosalie said she had her bag under control, so when I got downstairs to see Bella and Alice eating breakfast and the coffee was mercifully done, I smiled. She'd made enough for her, Rosalie, and I to have travel mugs too, which was a great call on her part.

When Rosalie threw her bag down on the living room floor, I turned to yell at her. "Rosalie, why do you have to be so difficult so early in the morning?"

"Because I have to be up so early in the morning," she parroted me before looking at the proffered breakfast from Bella. "Don't think this is earning you brownie points."

"Rosalie-" I started to yell, but Bella stopped me.

"Edward, there's no point at yelling into the wind. My parents got divorced when I was young and when my mom started dating Phil I knew that things were never going to be the same so I fought it until I saw how useless it was." She faced Rose before continuing, "Eventually, you'll realize I'm not a threat to you. I'm here to do my job and help out in any way I can, but I can't help you until you're willing to let me."

The room grew awkwardly silent before Alice announced that she needed help in the potty. Rosalie took her so I used this moment to apologize to Bella. "She blames me for the divorce, so anything that makes my life easier is a target. I'm sorry she's giving you so much shit."

"Like I said, I'm used to it. And if I'm going to be a published author someday, then I need all the help I can get to thicken my skin." She played it off and I noticed the time, realizing we would have to leave soon.

"Can you wake up Jasper while I pack the car?"

"Sure, just dump some ice from the bags in the freezer into the cooler. It'll make traveling with the kids easier because we'll only have to stop to make bathroom breaks if they need it." She had thought of everything, and I was glad that she was making the trip with us.

I packed the car, including the cooler and then got the kids in the car so we could head out. Everyone kept themselves busy, the kids all falling asleep at one point or another so for a little while it was just Bella and I awake. She alternated between reading and looking out the window, and it was really interesting to watch her on the sly.

Two and a half hours after leaving the city, we pulled up to the beach house and Esme helped get the kids settled. It had been years since we'd come here, but I knew which room would be left for Bella, and that meant trouble.

"What is it, Edward?" she asked when I called her name.

"I know what room's open, it's the one off of the second master suite, we had used it as a nursery for Alice and Tanya had slept in there. But you have to either go through my room or the bathroom to get out."

"Do you want to put one of the kids in there? I could sleep in the room on the main floor?" she offered, but the idea of asking Rosalie to swap with her was not going to end well. "Edward, I don't care. There are plenty of bathrooms in the house, and we can lock the door that leads to the other bedroom when we use the en suite so there are no accidental walk-ins. If it makes you uncomfortable, I'll try to convince Jasper to stay in that room." I watched as she spoke about making me uncomfortable and taking my son's room, which I knew wouldn't be comfortable for her so I had to stop her from worrying. I would deal with my issues on my own.

"No, you know what, we'll be fine, Isabella. Let's just go upstairs and unpack and then we can start to enjoy our day."

I was unpacked rather quickly, but I held off on going downstairs for a while because I needed to calm myself down, especially considering that my bathing suit hid nothing. I took a trip to the bathroom and saw Bella walking towards the pool in a little black bikini. Knowing that no amount of self gratification would do anything for my problem, I headed downstairs and jumped into the pool right after Alice jumped safely into Bella's waiting arms.

I swam up behind Bella as Alice yelled at me. "Daddy, you get us all wet."

"I'm sorry, Baby, are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine, Daddy," she cooed and I headed a little further out to burn off some of my extra energy.

It wasn't long before Alice was calling for me so I began to play with her. I lost track of time for a bit, realizing that we should head in just as Esme called us in to eat lunch.

The kids napped again after lunch and then we put in a movie to watch as a family. Even thinking that word, family, had me looking to Bella and wondering how long she would be ours. Because I knew a time would come when she would leave us and it would hurt me as much as my children.

Alice was perched on her lap and I could see how tightly bonded they were. She gravitated towards Bella, who just naturally scooped her up and made her feel special. Jasper, she was able to relate to intellectually, but Alice needed to have the physical connection. Tanya, even on her best days, would tell Alice that she needed her to sit in her own seat and tried to give her that sense of independence, but a part of me believed that she knew what was going to happen, which was why she needed that touch, it was the only way she knew you were really there with her.

Carlisle and I stood out under the covered part of the back deck to talk while he grilled the hotdogs and hamburgers, which gave us a little time to talk.

"How have things been going with Bella?" he asked.

"Great, she's wonderful with the kids, she's amazingly mature and responsible for someone her age, and she even manages to take care of me. You and Esme found a real gem in her."

"I'm glad that you were able to use your better judgment and see that she's someone you want to keep around. Bella is the only person that we felt we could trust with the girls. Everyone we found through the agencies was either fake, or too proper. We wanted someone who would really play with the girls, someone who wasn't afraid to get dirty or sweaty, and Bella is all about having fun and getting right in there." I couldn't argue with his logic on Bella being perfect for my nieces. She was perfect, period.

"I can see that, Alice is glued to her hip, and Jasper is opening up in ways I haven't seen since…" I drifted off, knowing Carlisle understood what I was referencing.

We stayed out there while the food finished up and then went inside to feed the family. The girls wanted to watch another movie, so Esme helped them pick something that wasn't going to make Jasper retreat into his room with a book. Settled on _Aladdin_, the time passed as each of the kids conked out.

Rosalie was able to drag off to her own room to watch some TV to fall asleep, but the rest of us each took a kid to tuck in for the night. Jasper woke up for a minute as I got him into bed, muttering about dinosaurs before he was back out. Bella was already in her room when I got back to mine, so I tried not to focus on the fact that she was sleeping in there in those little short sets she favored. I had to respect her, and not because Carlisle had already warned me not to hurt her, but because hurting her would kill me. If I did make a move, it would not be done lightly.

Knowing that the kids would be up early wanting to go to the beach, I climbed into bed and went to sleep.

It was just before one a.m. when I heard it, the muffled sounds of Alice screaming and crying. I was immediately up and running for her room, knowing from the past year that she was likely having a nightmare. Her dreams were always vivid and when they turned dark she would scare herself horribly.

I made it into the room and saw Tia sitting up in bed staring at her cousin in fear as she watched her thrash around on her bed. I moved to her bedside and shook her until she woke up.

"Daddy," she cried, throwing her arms around me.

"Baby, what's wrong?" I asked, hoping she'd remember some of her dream.

"Where's Beya?" she asked instead.

"Sleeping, Sweetheart, but you'll see her in the morning," I reassured her, but she kept shaking her head.

"No, she went away," Alice whimpered and my heart broke for her.

"Bella left in your dream?" I asked and she nodded.

"Un huh, Beya left and never came back."

"Okay, Alice, what if I lie down with you until you fall asleep? Will that help you go back to sleep?" I asked, praying she wouldn't make me wake Bella but it seemed that it wasn't meant to be.

"No," she cried.

"Come on, Alice, why don't we try it?"

Relenting, Alice curled up in my arms, but even as she fell asleep she was already starting to fuss. It took a few attempts before I realized there was no way to get her back to sleep without waking Bella as she'd kept crying for her.

I promised to get Bella and then went in search of her. I made it into her room and it took a minute to approach her as the sight of her sleeping so peacefully took my breath away. I knew that she was beautiful, but without the worries of the day weighing down on her she was ethereal.

Knowing that I needed to wake her, I reached over and gently shook her shoulder. "Isabella," I whispered. "Isabella."

She shifted and then opened her eyes, seeming surprised that I was there. I explained Alice's nightmare and how she was begging for her, feeling a bit like a failure that I couldn't be enough for my daughter, but Bella climbed out of bed and followed me to Alice's room.

Alice fell apart upon seeing Bella, who scooped her up and worked to soothe her. Alice finally admitted that she dreamed that Bella left and there was no one there to take care of them. The idea that my daughter didn't think that I would be able to care for them killed me, because everything I did was for them.

"Alice, Baby, I'm not going anywhere. I will always be here to take care of you," I told her, but she looked at me like I didn't understand what she had said.

"Who takes care of you, Daddy?" she said, and I had to close my eyes to hold back the emotion. She wasn't worried about herself and who would bake with her and watch movies, she was worried about me. I had instilled in her the type of worry no child should have to face.

I listened as Bella sang to her, that angelic voice lulling my baby to sleep as she tucked her in and kissed her forehead. I did the same and then after wishing Tia a good night, we walked towards our rooms.

Bella once again proved how amazing she was as she tried to comfort me. Telling me that Alice was perceptive but once things calmed down she would stop being concerned about everything. But my Alice was wise beyond her years, because she saw just how much Bella did for us.

"Alice does understand one thing; you take care of all of us. We would be falling apart without you. I would be falling apart without you, Bella." I heard her intake of air, knowing that she was smart enough to pick up on the significance of what I had called her. I claimed her lips savagely and was thrilled when she kissed me back, her hands pulling me to her.

I let my fingers trace her back and sides before I cupped her sweet little ass and pulled her closer to me as her legs went around my waist.

"Bella, please, I want you," I said into her neck just before she brought her lips back to mine.

I tugged off her shirt, feeling her chest press to mine as I tried to get us to the bed, but I tripped and landed on top of her.

"Shit," I grumbled as I climbed off of her and went to lock the door, knowing that the last thing we needed was an interruption from little eyes with big questions. As I dug out the condom from my wallet, I saw Bella's eyes relax and it was then that I realized that she had taken my momentary retreat as me changing my mind. I wouldn't let her doubt this again.

I watched her eyes devour me as she took in my body. With our age difference, seeing her that aroused by me was a huge ego boost for me as I rolled on the condom and climbed on top of her.

"We have to be quiet," I told her as entered her.

Her reactions had me suddenly worried, the tightness of her body and her sounds making me think that I was hurting her, but she adjusted and I was able to move a little easier and she relaxed in my arms, allowing me to slide in the rest of the way.

I moved in and out of her, loving the way she gripped and pulled me into her. The words fell from my lips as I felt my balls start to tighten as my orgasm neared. I thrust faster and harder, telling her that I was close as she tightened around me again, letting me know that she was right there with me.

I came hard, Bella cumming with me as I collapsed on top of her from the force of it. Before I could recover, Bella was sound asleep beside me. I watched her sleep for a while, amazed that we had really just slept together.

I was thinking about my kids, my brother and his family, and the pair of us, but I couldn't regret what we'd done. This sweet girl had worked her way into my heart and made me feel things I never had before. I would not let her go lightly, I decided there, and if there was a possibility that she would have me, I would fight to keep her.

Knowing my children and my sister-in-law like I did, I knew that I couldn't keep Bella in bed with me, so I cleaned myself up and got dressed before I lifted her into my arms and carried her into her room. Tucking her into bed, I returned a minute later with her clothes and then fell asleep myself, her scent bringing me to pleasant dreams.

Later that morning I was up and in the kitchen only to find the coffee ready and a note by the machine.

_Tia told us about Alice's nightmare, so I know you and Bella had a late night. Meet us at the beach after you're both awake._

_Esme_

I made a quick call to Esme, telling her I was going to wait until Bella woke up before we joined them. Relieved that I had some private time with Bella, I poured myself some coffee and thought about what last night would mean for us. I already knew what it meant for me, but in the light of day I couldn't help thinking about how I was considerably older and she might not want a relationship with me. Or even worse, if she thought that she had to sleep with me when I came onto her. That idea terrified me.

Unable to take the private wallowing, I went upstairs to check on her and was delighted to walk into her room and see her awake, but regretfully pulling up her shorts.

She spun around at the sound of my voice, and the trepidation in her tone as she said my name sprung me into action.

"Don't look at me like that," I pleaded. "I don't know what this is and I don't know where it's going, but last night I felt something I thought I'd lost. You make me feel alive and what I'm asking for is a chance to figure this out. It won't be easy and whatever it is, I think it could be great."

"So do I, there's been something between us from the beginning, and I can't describe it but I feel safe with you, and I haven't felt that in a long time." That went a long way to assuage my fears. Knowing that she felt this thing between us, and more importantly that she drew comfort from me too was almost too much to take.

"You are safe, Bella. I won't let anything happen to you," I promised as I closed the space between us some.

"What about the kids?" she asked me. As always, she knew what was most important and was willing to put my brood before herself.

"For now, things will be the same around them. I want us to be sure about what we're doing before they find out because I can't hurt them again. I need to put them first and you're probably the person who understands that the best."

"I understand," she said. "So, we should probably make an appearance down at breakfast."

"Nope, Esme and Carlisle have the kids down at the beach. Esme heard all about Alice's nightmare from Tia this morning, so she knows we had a late night with her. Which means that we have a while before they will begin to wonder where we are," I told her, smirking as my mind went to all the delicious ways we could spend the time.

"Wait, don't you think we should talk more?"

"We have plenty of time to talk, Bella. But right now we have a house to ourselves and I had been planning to wake you up so we could christen this room too, but since you ruined that by waking up and getting dressed-" I joked, but her hands went to the hem of her shirt as she spoke.

"Oh, you mean this?" The shirt flew over my head and my jaw dropped slightly. "That can be easily fixed."

"Fuck, you're sexy," I whispered to her as I grabbed her so that we could make good use of the comfy bed and empty house.


End file.
